• eestileib@lemmy.blahaj.zone
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    1 hour ago

    I’m disabled in a way that means I can’t use one, but can use a car, which kinda sucks.

    Fortunately bike infrastructure usually helps me in my chair, so I’m all in favor of wider bike adoption.

  • e$tGyr#J2pqM8v@feddit.nl
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    1 hour ago

    Welcome to the Netherlands. If there’s anything that fills me with pride it’s our cycling culture. Most people have a car too, but I don’t, and I do everything by bike and public transport.

      • Pacattack57@lemmy.world
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        31 minutes ago

        Being cheap is the entire benefit. Everything else is just a plus. If you lose the cost it’s not worth it at that point.

        • Bosht@lemmy.world
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          15 minutes ago

          But somehow 20k plus for a vehicle with the added maintenance, gas, inspection, and registration is. Gotcha.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
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        31 minutes ago

        I rode one for a while in college.

        Didn’t really help with the sweat problem between April and October in Texas. Or was less work than pedaling, but nothing aside from air conditioning helps with the sweat issue in Texas summer heat.

    • SoftestSapphic@lemmy.world
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      50 minutes ago

      Workplaces that require employees to be presentable then offer locker rooms, showers, and enough reasonable time to get ready to accommodate the fact that everyone who works a service job arrives soaked in sweat.

  • reallykindasorta@slrpnk.net
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    2 hours ago

    I used to love to bike but I moved to an area with steep hills and it’s too high effort. Maybe fine for exercise but I always used them for transport and you can’t arrive at work or a music lesson drenched in sweat. Wish they would install those hill lifts some countries have. I walk now. Would love an electric but the expense makes it much more painful when it’s stolen (and every one of my regular bikes has eventually been stolen).

  • dQw4w9WgXcQ@lemm.ee
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    2 hours ago

    I live in rural Norway up in the mountain side. We have wind, snow, ice and rain like hell, and I have ~150 elevation to get to the main road to get anywhere.

    … I’m still considering getting a bike for all the mentioned benefits.

  • FMT99@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    But what if i need to commute 600 miles to work and back every day and on top of that once a year I drive a million miles to my vacation home? Checkmate!

  • Demonmariner@lemmy.world
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    3 hours ago

    Try this when you are in your 70’s and come back and we’ll chat. And bring a cure for my chronically poor balance on your way over.

    • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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      2 hours ago

      well that goes back to one of Anon’s last points: that if cities were designed around it, everyone would be fine with it. because in a city designed around cycling, there would be room for passenger cyclists just as there are passenger cars.

      when you think about it, this rebuttle essentially comes down to the plain ole fact that humans have differences of ability. there’s nothing inherent to car-based society that offers disability support that we couldn’t provide with a cycling-based society.

    • png@discuss.tchncs.de
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      3 hours ago

      Many 70+ yr olds cannot or should not be driving cars either, because of eyesight/reflexes. Bicycles on the other hand, especially if conditioned throughout life, and later Trikes/Handbikes/Recumbents can be great options for many elders, and cycle infrastructure is perfectly usable for mobility scooters etc for those who really can’t or do not want to bike.

    • TimewornTraveler@lemm.ee
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      2 hours ago

      the thing is, this thread has everyone looking at things as sort of a cycling-only society. in actuality, any improvements to human transportation on a societal level would have to encompass a variety of transportation options. the current system in NA emphasizes cars above all else. if they were to transition away from car dominance, it would look like expansion of cycling, busses, and trains at minimum. they all would be expected to run in harmony with one another, meeting the various transportation needs such as distance, accessibility, etc.

      and even in that society! bikes would definitely symbolize freedom. if your legs take you there, you can go.

    • png@discuss.tchncs.de
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      2 hours ago

      Ride Bike 5-10k to train station, take train for an hour or two with bike, ride Bike 5-10k to my parents house. I do it once or twice a month.

    • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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      3 hours ago

      Take your bike on the train. That’s what I did last time I had somewhere to be that was >100 km away, and it was a fantastic trip

    • Nighed@feddit.uk
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      4 hours ago

      In nice weather? Pretty good, as long as you are staying the night… And don’t mind being tired… And don’t need to bring much with you… And can wash your clothes there before you cycle back.

  • HighFructoseLowStand@lemm.ee
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    4 hours ago

    Because it’s harder to kill someone by hitting them with it.

    But in all seriousness, you can go a lot farther, a lot faster, across much worse terrain and weather in a car than a bike.

    • DoYouNot@lemmy.world
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      4 hours ago

      How often does the average person really need to do that? Multimodal is where it’s at! Drive when you need to, don’t when there are alternatives. But alternatives need to exist for that to work, so vote for them.

  • RejZoR@lemmy.ml
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    4 hours ago

    Rain, ice and severe cold are a removed. I like bicycles, but driving to work in a heated car looking at that poor cyclist riding somewhere at 6 in the morning at -6°C, sorry, no, I’m gonna go with a car.

    • e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de
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      3 hours ago

      I disagree cycling in winter is nice. Just get some warm clothes and good tyres. A car is also really expensive to own in the city. Why pay for a car and parking when the alternative is almost free and arguably more fun.

      • deltapi@lemmy.world
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        2 hours ago

        It was minus seventeen degrees celsius when I got up yesterday. In the time it would take me to bicycle to work on clear paths/roads - assuming no accidents - I would have frostbite on all of my face unless I was also wearing a full-face helmet.

        • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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          51 minutes ago

          Could probably rock a balaclava in those temperatures. I bought one in anticipation of winter riding, but the coldest I’ve ridden this year is -11 C and it wasn’t quite necessary yet at that point, but I was debating trying it out.

          Climate change is basically killing most of the cold days we have where I live so this is a problem I’m long-term apparently not going to have to deal with. Instead I will have to deal with the way worse type of weather - wet weather.

        • Peck@lemmy.world
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          2 hours ago

          You should check out Oulu in Finland where kids bike to school in cold weather. Not a problem apparently. If that is too far fetched, you should visit Bozeman MT where people bike commute in the winter quite often.

        • e8d79@discuss.tchncs.de
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          2 hours ago

          If a full-face helmet works why not use one? You can also just skip the extremely cold days and use public transport instead. It doesn’t have to be an all or nothing decision.

    • GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml
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      3 hours ago

      If the weather is bad enough, I will take transit instead, but cycling down to -10 C is doable without any problems.

      I will be far less inclined to bike if it’s raining, that I do hate with a passion. Of course, I could just work from home in that scenario as well, if I don’t feel like taking transit

    • Ibuthyr@lemmy.wtf
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      3 hours ago

      Ice and snow are difficult. But I don’t give a shit about the rest. It’s still way more fun than sitting in traffic.

  • umbrella@lemmy.ml
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    4 hours ago

    because the entire transport infrastructure is geared towards making cars the safest, quickest and most convenient way of getting places. its by design, absolutely on purpose.

    i own a pedal bike and enjoy riding, but i can get places nowhere near the speed and safety. i almost always need at least a bus ticket to get halfway there, which forces me to rent the damn bikes wherever i go if i want to use them. a basic city motorcycle or scooter is fucking cheaper and quicker where i live, which is probably why they seem to be so popular rn.

    if we need to be constantly propping up a mode of transportation or else nobody would use it, maybe its time to rethink it but wtf do i know. you can blame the car industry or capitalism for that.